Class is in session! The third episode of our new sub-series of the regular Dam! podcast is here. Hydro 101 aims to provide you with a fundamental understanding of hydropower and how it interacts with energy and the environment–particularly in the Northwest. On this installment, we walk through the timeline of events and happenings that span the era of dam-building in the region–giving birth to hydro and public power as we know it today.

Fish passage is a serious matter for hydropower–especially for our Federal hydro system in the Columbia River basin. Like the dams themselves, maintaining and updating fish passage infrastructure is essential to achieving the best possible results for our aquatic friends. One of the leaders in this field is Natel, who designs fish-safe turbines to replace aging turbines and eliminate the need for bypass systems for juvenile salmon. Joining us on this episode to detail this win-win in design is Natel's co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Gia Schneider.

Energy storage is not only essential to meeting our growing electricity needs, it also ensures a reliable grid. And, in places where even accessing that energy is a challenge, energy storage can alleviate the pressure on transmission infrastructure. Ravalli Electric Cooperative's slice of rural Montana is one such place, but with the help of the Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative–or PNGC–they've secured a grant to build a new battery storage project to help overcome these challenges. On this episode, Erin Erben, senior vice president of power supply and strategy at PNGC, gives us all the details on how this exciting new endeavor was made possible.